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“What is it?” she demanded, praying her powers of deduction had gone to pot and they were not, in fact, stranded alone together.
Apparently caught by surprise, Ryan startled when she spoke. Not his usual confident self at all. Squinting one eye at her, he started backing towards the kitchen with his hands held up in placation. “The caretaker couldn’t get back up the pass, and the storm knocked out the phone lines…and my phone has almost no signal. I just lost the call.”
Her eyes bulged. “What are you going to tell me next, my dog is dead?”
“You have a dog?” He looked genuinely thrilled.
Please. She was so pissed, she almost enjoyed telling him that no, she didn’t. Knocking the towel back off her head, she fisted her hands at her hips. “Do we have any idea how long this storm is going to last?”
He shook his head and stepped forward. His gaze swept over her, his eyes darkening with a base need. She might have been interested in another go-round this morning, but that was when it seemed like an illicit adventure, a race against the clock before her co-workers showed up. Their impending arrival would have cut short a satisfying tryst, but in truth, she’d been banking on that interruption to save her from the threat of intimacy beyond a night of sex. A threat that felt more real as each second ticked past.
Exhaling slowly, she took a step back and crossed her arms against her breasts. Her body language should be perfectly clear. No entrance. “Get serious, Ryan. This is hardly the time. So what are they planning to do, come up tomorrow or whenever the storm clears? Can the rest of the team even fly out?”
“Okay, here’s the thing,” he started with an uneasy grin. “There’s no one else. It seems our dear boss had some funny notion that you and I needed this retreat more than any of the other teams. He planned to wait until we were here to drop the news on us.”
“What?” It sounded more like a screech than she’d intended. Her composure was failing fast. “Why in the…but…why…?”
“Take it easy, Beth. Settle down. Sure, it was lame, but really what’s the harm?” Desire infiltrated his tone, and he moved to stroke a knuckle down her cheek and neck. “After last night, I’m confident we can keep ourselves entertained.”
She sucked in her breath and took a step back. “There must be an office around here. I’m going to see what I can find. Maybe there’s a computer or a television or a satellite hookup.”
Ryan looked skeptical. “I know there are conference rooms, but not an office. Hey, let’s just relax and have some breakfast first. I’ve got coffee on. We’ll talk and…bond…and all that mushy stuff.” He reached for her hand, but she pulled back, her heart racing and throat tight.
“Don’t. Whatever happened last night, ended there. I’m serious, Ryan.”
His eyes narrowed, but it seemed he wasn’t ready to give up. “There’s more between us than you’re willing to admit. I’ve seen it, felt it. Last night was more than sex.”
This was the worst mistake she could have made. Ryan was incredible. He’d given her a night she’d never forget, made her feel more alive than she could remember, but it didn’t change the fact that he wasn’t someone she could count on. He wasn’t someone who would stay. Hell, he probably had his resume on half a dozen executive desks that very minute. There wasn’t room in her life for a relationship with Mr. Right, let alone one with Mr. Right Now.
“Ryan, your impeccable instinct must be on holiday, because you read last night all wrong. Clearly, it was a mistake.”
Ryan watched her through hooded eyes, a silent standoff between them. “What are you so afraid of?”
His godforsaken gut again. “I’m not afraid, so back off,” she snapped, fisting her hands at her sides.
She couldn’t risk a distraction like this. They’d been together one night and already he had her head spinning and her blood set to boil. How would she be able to focus on her goals with this kind of chaos in the background? She had a plan. Once she’d achieved the professional and financial security she strove for, then she would open her life to a man. She’d find a like-minded individual with a similar respect for commitment, and they would date and eventually marry. After two years, their foundation would be stable enough to have a child. One who would never have to live through the uncertainty and fear that had plagued her youth. Would never have to work two jobs to pay rent and put food on the table.
Her child would know she had protected its future from before it was even born. Her child would know safety and love. That was her ultimate goal, and she wouldn’t shortchange it for some feel-good fling that was bound to end in a careless dismissal. At this stage, she couldn’t afford to have her emotions and energy tied up in anything except work. If she was on track—and she thought she was—in two years’ time she would take the next step toward a family.
Ryan rustled his hair, confusion etched in every line of his face. “I don’t know why I thought this would be good for us. I must have been out of my mind to think you’d ever open up.”
She narrowed her eyes, her gaze zeroing in on him. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Ryan let out a stiff breath. “I suggested the retreat to Jared. Not just the two of us, but I’ll admit I wanted to get closer to you. I thought a seminar would be the ticket. You’re so into rules and winning, I figured you’d be knocking everyone else down to bond with me and increase our market potential, or whatever the bullshit slogan is for this one.”
“So I have you to thank? All this to get me into bed? Nice…” she hissed, burning at her own stupidity.
Ryan’s hands shot up. “No! That’s not what I meant—”
“For weeks, I’ve been asking whose brainchild this retreat was, and you haven’t said word one.”
“Beth, I wanted to get closer to you, but it wasn’t about some…conquest. I swear it. When you let your guard down, there’s something between us. I feel it.”
His eyes plead with her to believe him. As slick as he was, she could see what he was saying was true. But it didn’t matter.
“Fine, I believe you.” She felt something, too, but that wasn’t part of the plan, and, more than anything, she wanted to stop. It was hormones, pheromones, the devil’s attempt to distract her. It was nothing to pay attention to.
He took a step forward, relief flooding his face. She took a step back. “Don’t get any ideas. I’ve got news for you, Ryan. I spend enough of my time stuck in close quarters with you for business. I don’t need more.”
